Vibration cleaner



Oct. 4, 1966 Filed Sept. 22, 1964 FIG. l.

YOSHIO CHIBA VIBRATION CLEANER l N I T 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR YOSHIO CHIBA BYCMLQM@ ATTOR NEY.

Oct. 4, 1966 YosHlo CHIBA 3,276,066

VIBRATION CLEANER Filed Sept. 22, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I NVENTOR Yosl-uo CHIBA BY Wm few,

ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,276,066 VIBRATION CLEANER Yoshio Chiba, 194 Kita-ni-chome, Tenno-ji-ku,

Osaka, Japan Filed Sept. 22, 1964, Sel'. N0. 398,447 Claims priority, application Japan, July 21, 1964, 39/ 41,616 2 Claims. (Cl. 15-352) The present invention relates to a vibration cleaner, more particularly, to a cleaner -designed to utilize the continuous vibration of a solenoid which is connected to the automatic ilashing relay.

` Conventional cleaners lare known, particularly those commonly used in cleaning upholstered furniture or upholstered seats in a railway train and the like are provided with a revolving brush at their front end and the dust brui'shed oi by it is collected by suction. However, inasmuch as the surface of such upholstered material is made of a thick fabric, such -as woolen cloth, the revolving brush can easily wipe off the dust on the surface only, but not the dust remaining deep in the texture of the fabric. Besides, the air-borne dust which is sucked into the cleaner is screened by its ilter and, as the adhesion of dust to the lter cloth quickly increases especially in oase of the seats in a train, the eiiiciency of the cleaner will soon be decreased to a considerable extent.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a vibration cleaner which avoids the above-mentioned shortcornings.

With this and other objects in View which will become apparent from the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly lunderstood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section of the cleaner, de-

signed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the nozzle portion of the cleaner;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section along the lines 3 3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section along the lines 4-4 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, .and in particular to FIG. 1, the cleaner comprises a casing i1 having a nozzle portion with a downwardly facing opening and substantial-ly in the center of the nozzle portion opening is disposed a base frame 2, to which is iixed an electromagnetic solenoid coil 4, connected to yan automatic ashing relay 3, so that an iron core 19 cooperating with the solenoid 4 moves downwardly when it is electrically cha-rged. Into the downward opening of the nozzle is slidably inserted a beater plate 5 which lits lin the opening, and a plurality of projections v6 and v6 are formed on the bottom side of the plate 5 and a suitable plurality of perforations 7 and 7' are also provided in the beater plate 5. One end of each of a plurality of exible hoses 20 is connected to the perforations 7 and 7', while the other end of each of the hoses 20 is connected to -a wall 1 of the casing 1 in such a manner, that the other end of the hoses 20 has the opening in the wall 1 like a bee hive. On the other hand, the springs 8 are arranged between the plate 5 and the -base Iframe 2 and the lower end ot the iron core 19 of the solenoid 4 is rigidly connected to the beater plate 5.

A's shown in FIG. 3, a ratchet wheel 9 is disposed above the base frame 2, while a pawl 10, which engages the ratchet wheel 9, is fastened to the upper part of the iron core 19 of the sole-noid 4 and the core shaft of the ratchet wheel 9 is used Ias a flexible shaft 21, the opposite end of which is arranged to pass through nearly the center of the wall 1', to which are connected the exible hoses 20 with their openings like a bee hive. On the ilex- 3,276,066 Patented Oct. 4, 1966 ICC ible shaft 2'1 is fixed a brush` 1'1 which is equipped with bristles radially projecting from its center as sho-wn in PIG. 4, and beneath which is provided a b-ag 12 or receptacle so as to cover up tightly the brush 11. Above the bag 12 or receptacle is arranged a suction device `14 equipped with a rilter cloth v13 which engages the brush -11 and closes up the inlet o'f the suction device 14.

A spring 16 presses the brush 11 against the filter cloth 11-3, and the casing l1 `and the bag 12 or receptacle rest on wheels 17 and 1'8 of the cleaner.

The performance of the vibration cleaner according to the present invention is as follows:

The iron core 19 of the solenoid 4 is so designed as to rn'ove downward when it is electrically charged. Consequently, the beater plate 5 which is connected to the solen-oid 4, moves likewise downward when the latter is charged. At this moment, the springs 8, Ione end of which is fastened to the beater plate 5, while the other end is directly connected to the base -frarne 2, will be in their stretched condition. This brings out the power of restitution and the iron core 19 of the solenoid 4, which becomes non-resistant when electrically not charged, will be -pulled upward together with the beater plate 5. Thus, by the action of the automatic ilashing relay 3, the iron core l19 of the solenoid 4 causes t-he vibration of the beater plate 5 which is connected to 4the solenoid 4. As a result, the beater plate 5 will repeatedly beat the surface of the seats to be cleaned to drive out the dust deeply deposited in the covering fabric, whereupon the dust will be sucked up by the `suction device 1-4 and is fed through the flexible hoses V2.0 to adhere to the rsurface of the filter cloth 113. The pawl 10 larranged on the upper part of the iron core 19 of the solenoid 4 m'oves up and down and `the ratchet wheel .9 which engages the pawl 10 makes a slight but quick :rotation intermittently to cause the exible shaft 21 to rotate, so that the brush 11 fixed at the flexible shaft 2'1 will revolve `at the same time. Consequently, the dust which is sucked in to adhere to the surface of the iilter cloth 13 will be cleaned ofi' by the revolving brush 11 and falls into the bag 12 arranged beneath the lter cloth 13.

As above described, in the present invention the vibrating action of the iron core 19 of the solenoid 4, caused by means of the automatic flashing relay 3, is utilized to drive out dust deposited `deep in the texture of the seats and the like to be cleaned, while the efficiency of the suction device 14, which is liable to decrease as the dust increasingly adheres to the surface of the iilter cloth 13, is greatly improved by the use of the revolving brush 11 which always cleans dow-n the iilter cloth. Thus, the vibration cleaner according to the present invention has the great practical advantages over the conventional cleaners, especially when cleaning carpets, sofas and seats in a railway train or a theater.

While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, many moditications thereof can -be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention and it is desired to protect by Letters Patent all forms of the invention falling within the scope of the claims.

I claim:

f1. A vibration cle'aner, comprising a casing with a nozzle portion having an opening,

a base trame mounted in said nozzle portion, vibrator means supported by said base frame, a beater plate disposed adjacent the opening in said nozzle portion,

spring means connecting said beater plate to the base trarne,

said vibrator mean-s being operatively connected wit-h said beater plate and subjecting the latter to a vibration movement,

said beater plate having a plurality of iirst openings,

a suction device having an end Wall equipped with a plurality of second openings, and

a plunality of hoses connecting corresponding of said [first openingsof said beaterplate with corresponding of said openings of said end wall, whereby in addition to the beating action a suction action through sai-d vsuction hoses is brought about.

2. The vibration cleaner, as set forth in claim 1,

wherein Said vibrator means comprises a solenoid having a core secured to said beater plate, Y a exible shaft rotatably mounted in said casing and having abrush secured thereto at one end, said solenoid including means for rotating said flexible shaft, t n said suction device having a ilter, and

said brush engaging sai-d iilter in order to clean continuously said filter during rotation of said flexible shaft.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 9/ 1957 Italy.

15 ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VIBRATION CLEANER, COMPRISING A CASING WITH A NOZZLE PORTION HAVING AN OPENING, A BASE FRAME MOUNTED IN SAID NOZZLE PORTION, VIBRATOR MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID BASE FRAME, A BEATER PLATE DISPOSED ADJACENT THE OPENING IN SAID NOZZLE PORTION, SPRING MEANS CONNECTING SAID BEATER PLATE TO THE BASE FRAME, SAID VIBRATOR MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID BEATER PLATE AND SUBJECTING THE LATTER TO A VIBRATION MOVEMENT, SAID BEATER PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF FIRST OPENINGS, A SUCTION DEVICE HAVING AN END WALL EQUIPPED WITH A PLURALITY OF SECOND OPENINGS, AND A PLURALITY OF HOSES CONNECTING CORRESPONDING OF SAID FIRST OPENINGS OF SAID BEATER PLATE WITH CORRESPONDING OF SAID OPENINGS OF SAID END WALL, WHEREBY IN ADDITION TO THE BEATING ACTION A SUCTION ACTION THROUGH SAID SUCTION HOSES IS BROUGHT ABOUT. 